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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tackle It Tuesday--Homemade Laundry Detergent

Phil and Zane are allergic to Tide, and laundry detergents are so expensive. So last year I bought a kit from SoapsGoneBuy.com for like $35. We're a family of 3, and I have to do all of Phil's work clothes as well, which at times come home soaked in diesel fuel and when he works on our cars, oil, grease, grime, dirt--you name it.

You don't have to buy the kit--you can find all the supplies at stores nearby your home. If you choose to buy bars of Fels Naptha, you can shred them in your food processor to make dissolving easier.

I've been making my own laundry detergent for almost a year now on this one kit. I'll probably end up buying a new kit around February or March. That's like $3 a month on laundry stuff. There's no way I could do better than that anywhere!

I stopped using fabric softener in the laundry and stopped using sheets in the dryer, I add baking soda to the soap recipe and that takes care of it!

I follow one of the recipes from SoapsGoneBuy, make a concentrate by boiling it all together in a big pot and then pouring it into gallon milk jugs that I've saved over the year and adding water.

There are many processes you can choose from to make the detergent.

I've only had to "make" the detergent once every three months or so.

I love this stuff!!

This is the recipe I use:

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup 20 mule team borax

(I add:) 1 cup of baking soda

I heat a bit pot of water and add the grated Fels Naptha and let it dissolve slowly. (When it kind of looks like egg-drop soup is when it's ready) I then add the rest of the ingredients and let them dissolve. Let it cool for a bit then add about 1-2 cups to each gallon jug you have and fill them the rest of the way up with warm water (I use a funnel and pour slowly otherwise the suds overtake the jugs) Then just use 1-2 cups per laundry load.

Other options

Option 1: Mix and store in airtight container or bag. For light or small loads, use 1 tablespoon. For normal loads, use 2 tablespoons. For heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons. Cost per load .15.

Option 2: To make a large batch - grate 6 bars of Fels Naptha Soap and then add 3 cups of Washing Soda and 3 cups of 20 Mule Team Borax. Mix well and store in covered container.

3 comments:

A low cost, green eco friendly, healthy natural way to do laundry is to make a homemade liquid from soapberries. Or use 3 or 4 soapberries in the laundry. They grow on the Chinaberry tree and have been used for thousands of years. They work very effectively.